THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



manner in which the small, unedu- 

 cated beekeeper places his crop 

 before the public. Not knowing 

 its value, he places it on the market 

 in such unsalable shape and in the 

 hands of dealers whose knowledge 

 of the trade and its requirements 

 are as limited as his own, and who 

 will not pay more than two-thirds 

 value for it, besides thinking it a 

 hardship to have to buy it at any 

 price. 



A change is, however, coming 

 over matters, and instead of our 

 having to seek a market, we are 

 being sought after, and are being 

 offered far more at wholesale than 

 we formerly received at retail. 

 Why this great change? 



It is being brought about by the 

 plan of exhibiting at fairs and 

 exhibitions, hundreds, thousands, 

 and tens of thousands of pounds 

 of honey, in such attractive shapes 

 that visitors are amazed at the 

 mountains of honey ; this depart- 

 ment becomes one of the leading 

 attractions of the exhibition, and 

 the honey is largely purchased b}^ 

 the visitors and taken home as one 

 of the "big" features. 



No one would think of taking 

 honej' to an exhibition to compete 

 for prizes in milk-pans, buckets, 

 etc., then why take it to market in 

 any other than the best shape? 

 There the competition is even 

 greater, for besides having to com- 

 pete against other honey, it has to 

 compete against every other imagir 

 nable mixture that man can devise, 

 mau}^ of them unhealthy, poisonous 

 mixtures, composed largely of glu- 

 cose, and better adapted to sap 

 4 



vigor and life from the human 

 frame, and fill our cemeteries with 

 premature graves, rather than be a 

 luxury on our tables. Now, if this 

 vile stuff were not placed on the 

 market in a more attractive form, 

 would it take the place of honey? 



Are our beekeepers going to 

 slumber ? Are they less intelligent ? 



Can they not invent as attractive 

 packages, packages as suitable in 

 size, and as well adapted to the 

 requirements of the trade? 



Can they not devise as attractive 

 labels ? 



Can they not devise a plan of 

 placing the honey on the shelves of 

 the retailer, and on their counters, 

 so that it will appear to better 

 advantage than any other goods in 

 the store ? The goods that present 

 the finest appearance on the shelves, 

 and are the most pleasing to the 

 ej'e, are the ones which will sell 

 the most rapidly. Every merchant 

 wants his place of business to 

 outshine that of his neighbor, and 

 the brighter and more attractive his 

 display, the better he will be able 

 to obtain his end. 



By our putting up honey in 

 packages, ranging as follows : 2 oz., 

 4 oz., 8 oz., 1 lb., 2J- lbs. and five 

 lbs., they come within the reach of 

 all, the smaller sizes are purchased 

 by children, instead of confection- 

 ery, and these advertise the larger? 

 increasing their sale tenfold, 



A uniform size of package is 

 also very desirable ; after placing 

 the honey in tins, label them, 

 enclose each in a wrapper to prevent 

 the labels from chaffing or being 

 injured in appearance, and then 



